Safety hat and coat rack.



G. H. CLARK.

SAFETY HAT AND GOAT RACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1909.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, D4 cv CHARLES H. CLARK, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY HAT AND COAT RACK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Safety Hat and Coat Rack, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide cheap, simple, convenient and effective means which may be applied to the walls or other supports in barber-shops, club-rooms, restaurants, and other places frequented by the public, and where it is desirable to leave hats, coats and other garments temporarily out of possession of the owner, and which means will insure the owner against loss of the garment either by mistake or by intention of the person disposed to take the same.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention in use. Fig. 2 is a view of the invention detached and ready to secure a garment. The hanger-loop of a coat is shown on the rear hook of the rack. Fig. 3 is a cross-section illustrating the locking mechanism. Fig. 4 is a fragmental longitudinal section on line 00* m Fig. 3. Fig. 5

is a section on line 02 :0 showing the device in locked position with thekey removed.

The invention comprises a clasp provided with two fingers 1, 2, connected together at one end and there provided with means, as a head 3 having perforations 4: through which screws or nails may be passed by which the rack may be fastened to a support as a rail 5. The fingers 1, 2 are provided with opposed terminal-hooks 6, 7 that are adapted to en- 0 gage the rim of a hat to hold the same, the binding-strip at the edge of the rim pre venting the hat from being withdrawn when the fingers are in position to hold the hooks toward each other. The hooks may or may not be serrated so as to secure the hat with or without any binding.

The rear finger is preferably straightand adapted to lie fiat against the wall or other support to which the head 3 is secured.

The front finger is flexible so that the hook 7 thereof may be moved toward and from the hook 6 of the rear finger. Such flexibility may be secured in any well-known manner, as by hinging or by a spring-construction.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 19, 1909.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 497,127.

It is deemed preferable to make the front finger of spring-metal, and the tension of the spring is such as to normally hold the hook 7 away from the hook 6, so that the rim of the hat may be readily inserted. The rear hook is adapted to hold the hanger-loop of an overcoat or other coat so that both a coat and a hat may be held by the same clasp.

Means may be provided without departing from the spirit of this invention where by the fingers may be locked in clasped position. Such means may comprise any suitable form of lock, as a spring-lock not shown, whose component parts will engage when the outer finger is pushed into clamping position and which can be disengaged only by a suitable key. The lock will be stationed far enough from the hook to allow the rim of the hat to be accommodated between the hook and the look.

In the form shown, the lock and key are constructed by making a key-hole 8 through the outer finger 2 which is made of spring sheet-metal, providing a cylinder 9 with a 30 head 10 to receive the key, and a dog 11 to engage a plate on the rear finger 1, and securing said cylinder and dog to the outer finger by a plate 12 bent into the form of a loop and having its feet 13, 1 1 riveted by rivets 15 to the outer finger; the dog 11 being spaced apart from the plate 12 far enough to allow the dog to pass through and engage the underside of the plate 16 having an elongated perforation 17 to allow the dog to pass through when the lock is unlocke and to prevent such passage when the lock is locked.

The plate 16 is riveted to the rear finger 2 and is bent in the form of a loop corresponding to the plate 12. By this construction of the plates they are made rigid so that the parts of the lock cannot be forced apart or sprung out of shape.

To assemble the rack, the cylinder will be inserted through the perforation in the plate 12, and then the dog will be riveted onto the end of the cylinder. Then plate 12 will be riveted in place on the front finger and the 5 plate 16 will be riveted in place on the rear 10 finger. Then the two heads 3 of the fingers may be riveted together by rivets l8 and the device will be ready to be attached by screws 19 to the rail 5, for use.

When the device is unlocked the fingers 110 will be held apart by the resiliency of the front finger and the key will be in the lock; the person desiring to store his hat and coat may hang the loop of the coat over the hook 6 and then may insert the hat-rim into the space between the fingers, and will then press the front finger 2 toward the rear finger 1 until the dog comes into place behind the plate 16. Then the key will be turned, thus bringing the dog into locking position and leaving the key free to be withdrawn. Thus the garments are secured sufiiciently to prevent anyone not having the key, from accidentally taking the garments; or, in case of dishonesty, the lock will be of sufiicient protection to direct the attention of persons present to the dishonest action, thus ordinarily prexenting the loss of the garment.

The racks may be applied to the rail 5 or to any other suitable support in any number for which there is space, and each rack will be provided with an individual key which will fit no rack except its own. Each key and its rack will be provided with a designating number 20 so that no occur.

I claim The combination with two fiat solid fingers, one of which is resilient, fastened together at one end and movable face to face and provided at the other endvwith hooks, of a plate fastened to one of the fingers and provided with a hole to receive a dog, a second plate fastened to the and spaced apart therefrom, said second finger being provided with a key-hole adjacent said plate, cylinder pivoted in said second plate and provided with a dog to enter the hole in the first plate, and a key adapted to pass through the keyhole and to operate between the plates to turn the cylinder.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my this 12th day of May, 1909.

CHAS. H. CLARK.

confusion need In presence of JAMES R. TOWNSEND, M. BEULAH TOWNSEND.

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

second finger hand at Los Angeles, California, 

